Seasoning system and method

ABSTRACT

An improved seasoning system  10, 11, 13  uniformly coats a food product with the desired amount of seasoning, with the seasoning rate preferably being controlled as a function of the product volume signals from the sensors  26, 34, 108  and  110 . The seasoning system preferably utilizes linear motion conveyors and either a rotating drum  36  or a deflector  98  and a second seasoning unit  112, 114  between linear conveyors  94, 96 . Oil may be sprayed onto food products and tumbled in a drum  16  which both rotates and moves in a reciprocating manner with the conveyor tray  14 . An improved seasoning tray  123, 144, 148  has a planar floor  122, 138, 162  with an angled discharge edge  124, 137, 182  for uniformly distributing seasoning on the product. The seasoning system minimizes damage to the food product and uniformly coats the product with a desired amount of seasoning.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/757,177 filed Jan. 9, 2001, now abandoned, which is a continuation inpart of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/641,190 filed Aug. 17, 2000, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,588,363.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to equipment and techniques for seasoningsnack foods, such as chips, in a food processing facility. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to significant improvements whichevenly and consistently coat the product with seasoning, therebyreducing the amount of seasoning used and/or increasing the customer'sdesire for the snack food product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The food processing industry has long recognized the desirability ofseasoning snack foods, such as potato chips, in a consistent and evenmanner. This industry has thus recognized that significant cost savingsand increased customer satisfaction can be obtained when each chip froma bag of potato chips is consistently and uniformly coated with theseasoning. As with other industries, the food processing industry isalso interested in reducing costs by utilizing equipment which performsimproved functions or performs the same functions at a lower cost thanexisting equipment. Moreover, the food processing industry recognizesthat equipment components which contact the product should be configuredfor ease of cleaning, thereby maintaining the desired sanitaryconditions for handling food products.

There are numerous problems that exist with current equipment andtechniques for seasoning snack foods. As a primary example, existingequipment and techniques do not correctly match the desired amount ofseasoning added to the incoming product flow. Current seasoningequipment relies upon the applied seasoning mass (weight) to be matchedto the mass (weight) of the incoming product in an attempt to achievethe desired proportion of seasoning to the incoming product flow. Thistechnique thus measures the weight of the product and in responsethereto applies the selected amount of seasoning, although the industryrecognizes that the customer is judging the appearance and taste of thechips based on area of product covered by the seasoning. This differenceis critical for incoming products with a varying density. Since thedensity of the incoming snack food product before seasoning may vary byas much as twenty percent (20%) or more, the chip producer normallyunder-seasons or over-seasons, depending on the varying differencebetween the density of the incoming product and the density of the “baseproduct” which matched the desired amount of seasoning. Since the weightof the seasoning may not be insignificant to the weight of the overallproduct, and since seasoning is recognized as either the most expensiveraw ingredient or one of the most expensive raw ingredients in mostsnack food products, the over-application of seasoning by a producer orthe loss of business based upon under-seasoning represents millions ofdollars each year to the food processing industry.

For most snack food products, the area of product to be covered by theseasoning to meet the customer's appearance desires is known to beclosely related to the volume of the incoming product to be seasoned.Thus conventional seasoning equipment, which weighs the incomingproduct, has attempted to “estimate” the volume of incoming productbased upon measured weight and various other factors and formulas. Thesederived volumetric numbers are, however, inherently based upon weightmeasurements. The incoming product is conventionally weighed by a scalewhich may be built into the incoming product conveyor. The foodprocessing industry has thus long desired techniques which wouldreliably measure the volume of the incoming product so that seasoningcould be more accurately applied to produce the desired amount ofseasoning on the area of the individual chips.

Current methods of checking the actual seasoning applied to the chiprely on taking a weight-based sample of a base product, applying aweight-based sample of seasoning and then monitoring the color or saltcontent of this mixture against periodic samples taken during aproduction run. Thus, even the method of checking the applied seasoningcontinues to rely upon weight-based correlations, although it is knownthat the area of chip closely matches the volume of the product, andthus a volumetric measurement system would be more accurate than aweight-based system.

Another problem with seasoning systems is that the seasoning is notevenly dispersed over the area of the product. Seasoning isconventionally brought to the incoming product through a tube attachedto the end of an auger, with a row of holes in the tube that allow theseasoning to be pushed out by the auger and thus fall over the incomingproduct. These tubes must be continually monitored to insure that theholes do not clog. It is also difficult to correctly use this equipmentso that the seasoning is dispersed over the entire area of the incomingproduct. In addition, these tubes must have their settings manuallychanged as new seasonings are used due to the seasoning granule styleand its affect on seasoning flowing out of the adjustable holes in thetube.

Continued problems with the application of seasoning using the aboveauger have led to the use of a vibratory conveyor tray with a bias cutdischarge to apply the seasoning. Use of this vibratory scarf plateavoids the necessity of using a tube with adjustable holes. Thissolution, however, creates new problems since the vibratory conveyorthat moves the incoming product is the motion that moves the seasoningon the scarf plate. Varying product density has a significant effect onthe travel rate of a product being moved with a vibratory conveyor, andaccordingly the time shift between the measurement of the base productand the application of seasoning to that measured product causes amismatch between the seasoning and the base product. Moreover, vibratoryconveyors tend to develop a build-up of seasoning over time andtherefore have sanitation problems or flow problems due to unevendispersion. To eliminate this time shift, a second separate vibratorydrive has been used to move the scarf plate, so that the travel rates ofthe base product and the seasoning could be more evenly matched. Thisseparate drive mechanism for the scarf plate increases the cost, weight,and complexity of the seasoning system, and also prevents the systemfrom being easily cleaned, particularly during seasoning changeoperations.

Tumblers are conventionally used to mix the incoming product and theseasoning. Many of these rotating drums are fabricated from stainlesssteel, although some newer drums have been fabricated from hard plastic.While these tumbler drums effectively mix the base product and theseasoning, current drum technology also causes undesirably high productbreakage.

Some products, such as tortilla chips, require oil to be sprayed on theproduct prior to the application of seasoning. If the seasoning and oilspray operations were performed in the same tumbler, cleaning thetumbler becomes very difficult because seasoning and oil tend to cake inthe drum. It is desired therefore to apply oil upstream of the seasoningoperation. Accordingly, an upstream tumble drum for mixing the productwith the oil and a downstream tumble drum for mixing the oiled productwith the seasoning has been used, although this again increasesequipment costs. Moreover, the additional second drum requires thesacrifice of a vertical elevation in the product line, representing theheight of the product incoming to the additional drum verses the heightof the product discharged from that drum. The addition of this secondtumble drum to a product line may thus adversely affect the height ofthe product as it moves through the food processing system. Also, theaddition of another piece of equipment to an existing system may createproblems with the increased product travel length of the new system.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, significant problems existbetween the seasoning system and downstream equipment, such as scale andbagging equipment. Generally, the food processing industry does notutilize systems which provide for real time monitoring of activities andchanges to the operation of the food handling mechanisms to optimize thesystem. Conveyor systems which feed the downstream scale or bagger areconventionally turned “on” or “off” in response to either an on/offsignal or a modulating signal from the scale or bagger. Steady state runtime is important to providing consistent seasoning. To maximize theamount of steady state run time, the upstream conveyor system desirablyallows for small amounts of accumulation of product within the conveyorsystem. Since the prior art conventionally uses only a feedback system,however, neither the upstream seasoning system nor the distributionsystem achieves the proper flow of product to the downstream scale orbagger.

The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the presentinvention, and an improved seasoning system and method of seasoning foodproducts, such as chips, is subsequently disclosed which overcomes manyof the problems of prior art seasoning systems and techniques.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a seasoning system and method whichoffers superior seasoning coverage, ease of use, and economicaloperation with superior control for various types of food products.According to one embodiment particularly designed for high flowcapacity, seasoning is reliably dispersed without the need forcontinually adjusting the system, for cleaning clogged tube holes, orfor cleaning the seasoning build up on a vibratory conveyor system.Seasoning is dispersed in a manner which provides uniform productcoverage and thus the elimination of product stream “skips” bypreferably dispersing seasoning in response to a signal which actuallymeasures volume and is thus truly indicative of product area. Both thissystem and the subsequently described system can also be easily cleaned,thereby maintaining high sanitation conditions.

A second embodiment of an improved seasoning system is particularly wellsuited for seasoning systems which pass a relatively low or mediumquantity of product per hour through the processing system. Bothembodiments allow for an automatic and exact application of seasoning tothe base product without the seasoning application being affected bychanges in the density of the base product. Both seasoning systems mayoutput a finished food product with superior appearance and taste, whilesimultaneously saving a significant amount of money due to high or lowseasoning applications attributable to varying product density.

A low breakage tumbler is disclosed in the high-volume seasoning systemfor gently handling the product while achieving the desired mix of theseasoning and the base product to achieve the desired seasoningcoverage. The seasoning system of this invention both facilitatesoperator input and allows the system to be custom configured on-sitewithout the need for complicated programming.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedseasoning system which offers superior seasoning coverage of a product,low product breakage, quality repeatable results, and is easy to use andeconomical to operate.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedseasoning system which senses the volume of the incoming product ratherthan the weight of the incoming product stream, and disperses seasoningas a function of the sensed volume measurement. As a feature of theinvention, quality control may be improved by comparing the standardwith a measured sample as a function of the product volume rather thanproduct weight.

It is a related object of the invention to provide a seasoning systemwhich reduces or eliminates seasoning fluctuation variation due tochange in base product density.

It is a feature of the invention that the seasoning system may provide acontinuous “curtain” of seasoning to the product without problemsassociated with continual adjustments and auger hole clogging. Moreover,seasoning may be achieved utilizing a single conveyor, therebyeliminating one of the two conveyors commonly provided in prior artsystems.

It is a further feature of the invention that product volume may bemeasured with conventional photoelectric eye and/or ultrasonic sensortechnology so that the volume measurement system does not directlycontact the product.

It is another feature of the invention that the conveyor trays using theseasoning system may be easily removed and cleaned. Conventionalvibratory conveyor trays are heavy and commonly require removal withtools and have high seasoning build up compared to linear motion trays.

Yet another feature of the invention is that different embodiments of aseasoning conveyor are disclosed for uniformly distributing seasoning onthe product. Each embodiment may be structured and operated to uniformlydistribute seasoning on the product.

Still a further feature of the invention is that the seasoning system,when utilizing tumblers, preferably employs plastic tumbler liners withformed flights set at a selected angle for proper seasoning blend andminimum breakage.

It is a feature of the present invention that the seasoning system mayuse improved flow leveler technology which eliminates productfluctuations due to gate dumps and provides an even and constant streamof product to the seasoning equipment.

The tumbler of the present invention also preferably provides for acenter discharge as opposed to an off-center discharge, therebyminimizing product breakage.

The seasoning system may be reliably operated in a manner which offers ahigh accumulation capacity to achieve continuous seasoning runs duringintermittent downstream equipment operation, e.g., intermittent stoppingof the scaling and/or bagging equipment. The seasoning system thusachieves consistency in the seasoning application with minimalstop/start problems.

These and further objects, features and advantages of the seasoningsystem and method according to the present invention will becomeapparent for the following detailed description, wherein reference ismade to the figures in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a highly simplified illustration illustrating one embodimentof a seasoning system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed illustration of the mixing module generallyshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the mixing module shown in FIG. 2with the tumbler liner removed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the removable tumblerliner.

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the tumbler generally shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a seasoningsystem according to the present invention which is particularly wellsuited for low or medium product flow through rates.

FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of both the seasoning pan and a product panfor the seasoning system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of the seasoningconveyor according to the present invention positioned above a producttray.

FIG. 9 is cross sectional view of the seasoning conveyor shown in FIG.8.

FIG. 10 is a simplified illustration of yet another embodiment of aseasoning system according the present invention which is well suitedfor low or medium product flow through rates.

FIG. 11 is a pictorial view of the seasoning conveyor shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 depicts an alternate embodiment of a portion of a seasoningconveyor.

FIG. 13 is yet another embodiment of a portion of the seasoningconveyor.

FIG. 14 is an embodiment of a seasoning conveyor which utilizes a rodspreader.

FIG. 15 is an alternate embodiment of a portion of a seasoning conveyorwhich utilizes a curvilinear shaped edge.

FIG. 16 is a pictorial view of yet another embodiment of a seasoningconveyor including a shaft driven by a motor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As explained subsequently, FIGS. 1-5 disclose one embodiment of a systemaccording to the present invention, and FIG. 6 discloses anotherembodiment of the present invention. The preferred seasoningdistribution pan as shown in FIG. 7 may be used in either embodiment.

FIG. 1 simplistically depicts one seasoning system 10 of the presentinvention which is particularly well suited for food product seasoningapplications wherein the product throughput is relatively high. Existingseasoning systems are capable of handling several thousand pounds ofincoming food product per hour, and even higher product throughput ratesfor future equipment are likely.

The seasoning system 10 starts with product incoming to the seasoningsystem having the product flow rate regulated by a separate conveyor ora proportional gate such as the gate mechanism 12 generally shown inFIG. 1. Other proportional gate mechanisms or conventional gatemechanisms may be used to control the product flow rate into conveyor14. A preferred proportional gate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,119,849, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The seasoningsystem 10 includes conveyor 14 which, as explained subsequently, may bepowered to produce the desired linear motion to move product along thetray by the drive assembly shown in FIG. 2. Only the tray or pan of theconveyor 14 is shown in FIG. 1. The seasoning conveyor 14 may include aflow leveling device to ensure a fairly uniform level of product movingalong the conveyor. A suitable flow leveling device may include alateral row of inclined pins 17 and another row of inclined pins 19.Further details regarding a preferred flow leveling device are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,850.

The primary components of the seasoning system as shown in FIG. 1 are amixing module 15, a seasoning module 35, and an improved seasoning panor tray 32. For this exemplary application, the food product discussedbelow is potato chips. Those skilled in the art will recognize thebenefits of the present invention to other foods products.

The mixing module 15 includes a linear motion conveyor 14 and a tumbledrum 16. The product thus moves past spray nozzles 20, 22 and 24 eachsupplied with a desired spray, such as oil, from spray header 18. Thespray nozzles may spray chips on the conveyor 14 and/or within the drum16. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that potato chips are notusually sprayed with oil, and that the oil spray operation is describedherein since oil or other liquid spray is conventionally sprayed onother food products.

The depth of the product in the tray 14 can be reliably sensed by sensor26. Various sensors may be used for sensing the vertical height of thetop layer of the product being conveyed and thus directly sensing thedepth of the product in the tray. The preferred sensing technique doesnot require that any product be contacted by the sensor. A preferredphotooptic sensor may utilize dual photo eyes to substantially reduceoperator adjustment. The purpose of the sensor and its role in theoperation of the seasoning system is discussed below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the linear motion conveyor 14 includes an elongatetray 42 for moving goods longitudinally along the tray. The tray 42 hasa semicircular tray floor 44 for supporting the transported goodsthereon.

The conveyor 14 includes a base 46 that may be supported on a pluralityof adjustable leg supports 48. A plurality of substantially verticalsupport members 58, 60 are pivotally connected at 59, 61 to the base 46,and are similarly pivotally connected to the tray 42 as shown in FIG. 3.The support members 58, 60 thus extend upward to pivots that areconnected to the tray 42. Other types of support members may be used forsupporting the tray, including vertical supports for suspending the trayfrom ceiling structures.

The conveyor 14 includes a fixed support 50 that is rigidly connected tobase 46. A powered drive mechanism, and preferably an electric drivemotor 52, is provided for powering crank arm 63, which in turn ispivotally connected to one of the tray supports. The powered drivemechanism cyclically moves the tray supports 58, 60 forward andbackward, thereby similarly moving the tray 42 a desired stroke lengthwith each cycle. The powered drive mechanism 52 thus moves the trayslowly forward and then more quickly backward, with the goods slidingalong the tray during the backward movement of the tray 42. A pluralityof operator selected controls 54 are shown for regulating operation ofthe powered drive mechanism 52, i.e., to regulate the frequency of theconveyor movement, which is typically about 200 strokes per minute. Anautomated control station 56, which may include one or more computers,may also be provided for automatically controlling operation of thedrive motor 52. The stroke length for linear motion conveyors typicallyvaries from 1 inch to 2 inches. In an exemplary application, the drivemechanism 52 imparts a desired stroke length of from 1.4 to 2.0 inches,and preferably about 1.6 inches, to the conveyor tray 42 and cyclicallymoves the tray in the forward and the backward directions. Furtherdetails with respect to suitable drive mechanisms for a linear motionconveyor are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,351,807 and 5,794,757. Asuitable machinery mount 48 for achieving the desired inclination to thebase 46 and thus the tray 42 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,678.

The drive motor 52 also preferably powers one or more counterweights 66,as shown in FIG. 2. Each counterweight may be supported on one or morevertical supports 68 pivotally connected to the base 46. Counterweightmovement in the forward and backward directions may be obtained viacrank arm 64 powered by motor 52. The counterweights are sized forminimizing vibration and “knocking” of the conveyor drive mechanism.

Referring to FIG. 1, both sides of the product may be reliably coated inthe tumble drum 16. For food products which do not utilize a spray,mixing module 15 may thus be omitted from the system 10. For thepresent, it should be understood that the drive mechanism for the linearmotion tray 14 as shown in FIG. 1 also preferably drives the tumbler 16which has its own rotary drive mechanism 72, as shown in FIG. 2. Thetumbler 16 as generally shown in FIG. 1 may thus be moved both linearlybackwards and forwards with the tray 14, with the drum also rotating thedesired speed by the drive motor 72. This feature allows the drum tooutput product in a continuous process without the tumbler drum axisbeing inclined. This may be very important to the operator, since the“horizontal” or non-inclined drum axis for the drum 16 results in verylittle if any product height in the conveying system line being lost.

The product is thus fed to linear motion conveyor 28, which alsoincludes a linear motion conveyor tray preferably powered by the drivemechanism simplistically shown in FIG. 2. The depth of product in thetray of the conveyor 28, if desired, may again be sensed by depth sensor34. The seasoning tray 32 may be secured to the tray of conveyor 28, andthus moves in a reciprocating manner in response to the linear motionconveyor drive. Seasoning may be supplied to the tray 32 by conventionalauger 30.

The seasoning module 35 thus includes a linear motion product conveyor28 and a seasoning tray 32, which together convey seasoned product intothe seasoning tumble drum 36. The depth sensor 34 thus senses the depthof the product in the tray of conveyor 28 at a particular locationwithin the seasoning module. This depth sensor measurement is takenwithin a tray with a fixed configuration. A signal from sensor 34 of theelevation or depth sensed is thus directly related to a product volumesignal. A horizontal motion conveyor is preferably used to measure thevarying bed depth and thus the varying volume of product passing alongthe conveyor at any point in time, since a horizontal motion conveyortravel rate for varying product bed depths and product densities issubstantially uniform. Since product moves along a linear motionconveyor at a highly controlled product travel rate, this enables one todetermine the actual volume of product moving within the seasoningsystem at any selected location, and thereby automatically control thedrive motor 13 which powers the proportional upstream gate 12 to matchthe requirements of a downstream scale/bagging system 40. This volumemeasurement also controls the motor 31 powering the auger 30, andthereby controls the amount of seasoning delivered by the auger 30. If aconventional gate rather than a proportional gate such as gate 12 isutilized, the speed of the upstream conveyor system, such as theFastback™ conveyor system available from Heat and Control, Inc., may beadjusted to control the amount of product being delivered to theconveyor 14.

The seasoning tumbling drum 36 may be designed and sized for handlinghigh product flow rates, with the axis 37 inclined relative to thehorizontal linear motion tray of conveyor 28. The tumbling drum 36 thuscoats the product on all sides with the seasoning. The output from thetumble drum may supply a cross feed conveyor 38, which again may be ofthe Fastback™ configuration discussed above. The cross feed conveyor 38may then transfer the product to conventional downstream equipment 40.Those skilled in the art will understand that the equipment 40 may be aproduct scale or packaging system, or may be other process systemequipment.

According to the method of the invention, the seasoning system 10preferably employs horizontal motion conveyors, such as conveyors 14,28, and 38 as shown in FIG. 1, and one or more ultrasonic photo electricsensors 26, 34 sense the depth of the product, and thus the volume ofproduct, moving through the seasoning system at a selected location. Thesystem 10 has benefits from the sanitary design of the tray of thehorizontal motion conveyor, which may be made from stainless steel, andthe ability of the horizontal motion conveyor to convey varying beddepths without changing travel rates. This permits the use of aconventional program which recognizes the fixed measurements of the trayand the sensors to effectively measure the actual volume of the productgoing through the system which, as explained above, highly correlates tothe area of the product. The output from the sensors 26, 34 thus allowsa computer to automatically control both the flow rate of productpassing to and through the seasoning system (by controlling the motor 13and the drive motor powering the linear motion conveyors), and the flowrate of seasoning applied to the incoming product (by controlling themotor 31). The seasoning applicator 30, which may be a simple augerstyle system without adjustable port holes, thereby properly meters theamount of seasoning applied to the incoming product. Measuring thevolume of the product with the sensors 26, 34 thus eliminatesfluctuations in seasoning as a function of product density, and thusprovides a more accurate method of seasoning the product according tocustomer's expectations. The same product volume measurement system maybe obtained utilizing the depth sensors 108 and 110 shown in the FIG. 6embodiment.

The seasoning system of the present invention thus takes the desiredamount of product required by the downstream equipment 40 and feeds theproduct forward to the seasoning system so that the inflow of product ismore closely matched to the needs of the downstream equipment 40 which,for example, may be bagging equipment. The seasoning system thusprovides a constant stream of product to the downstream equipment, andachieves smooth product flow with a minimal of product damage. Seasoningsystem 10 also reduces accumulation requirements for the conveyorsystem. In addition to a feed forward signal, a feedback signal may beutilized to accommodate the on/off responses required by film changesand other interruptions in the flow to downstream equipment 40.

For the present, it should be understood that the system as disclosedabove has benefits when used in various product distribution lines,including lines with or without on-line seasoning systems. The system ofthe present invention allows a feed forward signal from the productvolume sensors 26, 34, 108, and 110 to be coupled with a proportionalgate such as gate 12 in a distribution line which can then directproduct to, for example, the proper bagging unit of a bagging system.Each volume depth measurement sensor 26, 34, 108 and 110 may use dualphoto eyes to eliminate manual photo eye adjustments. Since the volumemay be reliably measured without the measurement system contacting theproduct, this technique eliminates weigh-belt tracking and reducessanitation and maintenance concerns. This volumetric measurement systemthus improves overall performance of the entire system for processingfood products by providing quality feed product to the scales and/orbaggers.

One or more linear motion conveyors within the system may thus be spedup or slowed down to achieve the desired product rate to optimize theperformance of the downstream equipment. The rate of product movingalong each of the linear motion conveyors in the system may thus becarefully controlled to achieve the optimum desired speed for thatparticular conveyor. One can thus incorporate linear motion conveyors tonumerous food product handling systems and control the operation of eachconveyor in the system determined as a function of the entire systemneeds based upon the measured volume of the product at specificlocations in the system. The system may thus supply product to severalbagging units which are intermittently operated at a higher than normalspeed rate to compensate for the loss of one or more baggers from thesystem due, for example, to film changes or other problems. The systemfor sensing product volume offers benefits to the overall packingefficiency, management control, and reduced product accumulation in thefood processing system. These benefits, in turn, reduce equipment cost,eliminate product breakage, and reduce the dwell time associated withaccumulation that can cause stale product.

The mixing module 15 as shown in FIG. 1 incorporates both the oil sprayand the tumble action into a horizontal motion conveyor. This can beaccomplished with a tumbler sized to be moved with the tray 14 since theapplication of even oil spray is not as critical as even seasoningdispersion. The system as shown in FIG. 1 has significant advantages,particularly when the flow volumes can be accommodated by a relativelysmall size tumbler 16. The module 15 as shown in FIG. 1 eliminates theneed to use an inclined tumbler since the conveyor 14 is providing theforward movement of the product through the module, therebysignificantly reducing cost and space requirements. The horizontaltumble drum 16 could have its own linear motion drive mechanism and thusbe supplied with incoming product from an upstream piece of equipmentwhich was not a linear motion conveyor.

Seasoning system 10 as shown in FIG. 1 thus applies seasoning based onthe measured volume of product rather than the weight of the product.The characteristics inherent in the linear motion conveyor, such asconstant traveling rates with varying bed depths and zero seasoningbuild up, allow the sensor to accurately measure the volume of theproduct at any point within the system.

With respect to both the system 10 as shown in FIG. 1, the seasoningsystem 11 shown in FIG. 6, or the seasoning system 13 as shown in FIG.10, the discharge from the seasoning system is free of flights, therebyfacilitating cleaning and allowing for a center discharge as opposed toan off-center discharge, thereby further preventing product breakage andreducing spill points. Each of the seasoning systems as disclosed inFIGS. 1 and 6 offer additional accumulation capacity, thereby allowingfor continuous seasoning runs even during intermittent downstreamoperations.

To operate any one of the seasoning systems 10, 11 or 13, the operatormay input signals to the control panel, such as panel 150, whichincludes an operator input keyboard 152, a computer 156 and displayscreen 154. The operator may select the seasoning line he wishes toalter on the panel display screen 154, which may simplisticallyillustrate the overall product distribution and seasoning system. Theoperator may also input signals indicative of the desired bag size andbag speed, or the desired pounds or kilograms per hour, of outputrequired by that seasoning line. The operator then chooses a selectedseasoning recipe and simply starts the system.

According to a preferred embodiment, the control logic within computer156 may assume operation of the seasoning system, thereby automaticallyand constantly adjusting and monitoring both the base product input andthe seasoning delivery amounts to achieve the desired high qualityresults. The operator input for bag size and bag speed, or forthroughput rates, thus determines the correct throughput settings forthe operation of the system gates and conveyors. A particular conveyormay thus be sped up or slowed down to increase or decrease thethroughput rate for that conveyor, which in turn may affect theoperation of downstream conveyors. Since the instantaneous flow rate ofthe volume of product to the seasoning system may thus be reliablymonitored, the seasoning trays 32, 100, 112 may be carefully controlledso that the seasoning output for the selected seasoning recipe meets theexact demands of the incoming product. If desired, the operator has theability to manually adjust the seasoning amount based on actual qualitycontrol test results by inputting data to the computer 156 via keyboard152.

Unlike prior art systems, the seasoning system of the present inventionprovides for sequential feedback to all controlling parameters of thesystem, with the downstream equipment requirements, such as the numberand size of the bags to be processed by the bagging equipment, beinginput by the seasoning operator at the control panel 150. Rather thanmerely turn components of the seasoning equipment on and off, the systemof the present invention may reliably operate each of those pieces ofequipment at a desired and separate product flow rate. Accordingly, theseasoning equipment operation may be primarily operated in a “sweetspot”, which is the optimum uniform equipment operation to achieve thedesired results with relatively high throughput rates. Control system150 may thus input signals to all equipment based upon the determinedproduct volume measurements at various points in the system, andcalculate the desired speed or other operation of each piece ofequipment to operate at a specific rate or in a predictable manner forachieving the desired mixture of product and seasoning being uniformlysupplied to the downstream equipment. Proportional gates may thusreliably control the input to the seasoning system and/or the input atvarious stages of the seasoning system operation. Since the measurementsystem of the present invention allows for the accurate measurement ofproduct flow rate at various points in the system, each conveyor,tumbler, and seasoning auger may be operated at an optimum rate basedupon the real time operation of the downstream scale or baggingequipment.

FIG. 2 is a more complete representation of the linear motion conveyor14 and the tumbler 16 generally shown in FIG. 1. In an exemplaryapplication, the drive conveyor as shown in FIG. 2 may be electricallypowered by a one horsepower motor (0.75 kw). The conveyor drive may movethe tray 42 in the desired forward/backward motion along a linearspacing of approximately 2.0 inches, and may reciprocate the 42 tray atapproximately 200 cycles per minute.

FIG. 3 depicts an end view of the drive mechanism described above.Pivotal support 60 supports the frame 70 for the drum assembly 16.Brackets 78, 82 are thus each fixed to the frame 70 with the pivotalconnection 76, 80 interconnecting the reciprocating supports 60 with therotating drum assembly. The drive motor 72 thus rotates the drum 74 andthus the product contained therein. Removable liner 88 as discussedbelow has been removed from the rotating drum 74 to better depict theother components shown in FIG. 3. When in use, the liner 88 willnormally be secured to the rotating drum 74 by conventional securingmembers.

FIG. 4 illustrates a relatively soft pliable liner fabricated from afood grade plastic for positioning within the interior of the rotatingdrum 74. Liner 88 may be easily and quickly removed and replaced withanother liner for different seasoning changes. The liner preferablyincorporates rounded edges of its flights, as shown in FIG. 5. Theflights may be axially recessed from each end of the line. A relativelyshort axial spacing of, e.g., 8 inches between the downstream end of theliner and the downstream end of the flights ensures that productdischarged from the drum assembly 16 desirably is substantially at thesame horizontal position as the axis of the rotating drum. This hasparticular advantages over prior art drums which discharge producthorizontally from this axis and thus alter the central axis of theproduct flow plan. The soft liner cushions the product as it is tumbled.The liner may be manually cleaned by hand within the rotating drum, ormay be removed for a wet cleaning operation. The drum 74 itself ispreferably fabricated from stainless steel. It is largely the weight ofthe drum 74 that limits the size of the system that can incorporate withand linearly move with the conveyor tray 42. The liner 88 may easily beremoved and replaced with another liner during periodic cleaning ofother equipment within the seasoning system. A liner stop 75 as shown inFIG. 2 may be provided for controlling the position of the forward edgeof the liner 88 with respect to the non-rotating tray 44. Compared to astandard rotating drum which utilizes a stainless steel drum, the linerof the tumble drum according to the present invention may be made withplastic which, due to its characteristics, inherently provides acushioned interface for the rotating product, thus resulting in reducedproduct breakage.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tray or pan of the conveyor 14 has asemicircular configuration. Either the entire length of the tray may beuniform in configuration, or a transition piece may be provided alongthe length of the tray so that the tray terminates in a semi-circularconfiguration. The non-rotating tray thus butts against rotating liner88 secured to the cylindrical tumble drum 74, which may be rotated bythe drive motor 72. The rotating drum 74 may thus pass under the tray ofconveyor 14. This system thus couples a rotating pan or tumble drum witha reciprocating pan. Seals may be used between the reciprocating pan andthe rotating and reciprocating pan. Module 15 as shown in FIG. 1 thusincorporates desirable features of a linear motion conveyor to result ina combination conveyor and tumble drum system.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tumble drum 88 preferably provides for areversing flight design. Four circumferentially spaced elongate ribmembers 84 may be provided, each of which is secured to or preferablyformed as part of the otherwise sleeve-shaped liner 88. Each rib 84 mayhave a flight 85 at a selected angle, and a flight 86 at anotherselected angle. The product will thus be engaged by the flights 85 whenthe drum 74 and the liner 88 are thus rotated in one direction, and willengage flights 86 when liner 88 is rotated in the other direction, withrotation being achieved by the reversible drive motor 72. Each of theflights 85, 86 may be set at a selected angle for proper seasoning blendwith minimum product breakage. In a particular embodiment, the flightsmay be fixed yet provide two predetermined angles, thereby allowing forreversed tumble action on previously salted or unseasoned products andreducing product breakage. In an exemplary embodiment, each rib may havea flight 85 which resides within a plane passing through the center ofthe rotating insert 88, and another flight 86 angled as shown in FIGS. 4and 5. Flight face 85 may thus have a 70 to 80 degree face for highlytumbling product, while the flight 86 provides a degree face forrelatively light tumbling of the product when the rotation is reversed.The reduced lift flight may be used, for example, when tumblingunseasoned products.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative seasoning system 11 according to thepresent invention, which utilizes two linear motion conveyor trays 94,96, each driven by a single drive mechanism. As explained subsequently,the drive mechanism moves the two trays simultaneously, with productgoing in opposite directions, as illustrated in FIG. 6. In thisseasoning system 11, product may be delivered to the upper tray 96 by aconventional distribution system, and preferably a system equipped witha proportional gate such as gate 97 powered by motor 91. Preferably thewidth of both the upper pan 96 and the lower pan 94 is sufficiently wideto allow the product to be spread thinly on the trays. The drivemechanism shown in FIG. 6 may thus be sized for reciprocating the lowerpan 94 but may otherwise generally have components as shown in FIG. 2and discussed above. Supports 60 and 58 thus support the lower pan 94 inthe same manner that these components supported the pan 44 shown in FIG.2. Another pair of pivotal supports 90, 92 thus reciprocate the upperpan 96. The seasoning tray 100, 112 may thus be fixed to respective pan96, 94, and thus may evenly distribute seasoning on the product, asshown in FIG. 6.

A single drive unit as shown in FIG. 6 may thus move the product throughan entire seasoning operation. The weight of the tray 96 in combinationwith seasoning tray 100 may be controlled so that the upper tray 96effectively provides for the counterweight to minimize the vibration andknocking. A counterweight 66 as shown in FIG. 2 thus need not beprovided for the seasoning system as shown in FIG. 6, since the weightof the tray 96 may provide part or all of the purpose served by thecounterweight 66. Also, those skilled in the art will appreciate that,if desired, the spray nozzles 103 and the seasoning tray 112 could beprovided directly under the upper tray 96, so that the length of theupper and lower trays were substantially equal.

As the product travels to the right in the upper pan 96, its depth ismeasured by the ultrasonic sensor 108 or other suitable volumetricmeasuring device. This volume depth, when combined with a known panwidth and product travel rate, thus effectively determines theinstantaneous volume of the product being handled by the system at thelocation of the sensor. This volumetric measurement may be compared tothe volume required by the scale or other downstream equipment 40, andthe proportional gate 97 automatically adjusted to meet the systemrequirements. The product volume determination also preferablydetermines the amount of spray (if required) and the required amount ofseasoning.

Pressurized oil may be provided in header 102 and sprayed from theplurality of spray nozzles 104. Auger 106 applies seasoning to seasoningtray 100 which distributes seasoning on the top layer of the chips. Thechip layer is turned by the u-plate 98, which is preferably fixed to thetray 96 and thus moves relative to tray 94. A relatively short spacingof from ⅛ inches to ½ inches, and preferably about ¼ inches, verticallyseparates the lower surface of plate 98 and the upper supporting surfaceof the tray 94. The mechanism 98 thus turns the chips upside down, sothat the underside of a chip now becomes the top of the chip which maybe sprayed from nozzles 103 fed by header 110, with seasoning beingapplied from seasoning tray 112 supplied by auger 114. The deflector 98thus causes the product to be turned over, exposing the unseasoned side.The product is conveyed to the left on the lower pan 94, where theexposed side is then oiled and seasoned. In the seasoning system, oilspray may thus be applied in two different areas so that the combinationof seasoning stage 1 and seasoning stage 2 effectively season both sidesof the chip. Fully seasoned product is then ready to be delivered todownstream equipment 40, such as scale or packaging equipment. Oil sprayand seasoning augers may be automatically adjusted to meet the desiredrequirements for both the upper tray 96 and the lower tray 94, withcontrol signals provided by a control panel 150 with a computer 156.

The seasoning system 11 as shown in FIG. 6 utilizes inherent advantagesof a horizontal motion conveyor and a specially designed seasoning pan,as discussed below, to convey the seasoning to the product. The entireseasoning module 11 may be packaged as a single unit which takes uplittle space. The desired horizontal motion eliminates seasoning buildup, which in turn eliminates the need for an additional drive mechanism,while allowing the seasoning module to be easily removed for cleaning.

The deflector 98 thus caused the 180 degree turn loops the product overso that a second application of seasoning can be applied to the otherside of the chip. To make the turn accurately, the product has a thincross section, and thus the use of wide pans are important to provide asmall bed depth of product to obtain even dispersion. Linear motionconveyors are particularly well suited for making the turn with arelatively simple deflector 98. Belt conveyors do not allow the productto be accurately turned and therefore will not turn over a highpercentage of the chips. Vibratory conveyors could be used instead oflinear motion conveyors, but vibratory conveyors tend to build up withseasoning. If desired, hood or hat 160 as shown in FIG. 6 may beprovided over the top of the trays 94, 96 to prevent any product fromfalling onto the trays and protecting the product as it moves throughthe seasoning operation.

As shown in FIG. 6, the upper and lower product trays move the goods ina reverse direction, and both product trays are powered by the samedrive mechanism. In less desired embodiments, a separate drive mechanismmay be provided for each of the product trays, which would allow theseasoning product to move in the same direction along the seasoningsystem. Nevertheless, the product deflector would still be used forinverting the product as it passed off the upper product tray and wasinput to the lower product tray. The seasoning system 11 as shown inFIG. 6 has substantial advantages in that no rotating drum is necessaryto season the food product.

Until this point, the seasoning pans 32, 100, 112 as shown in FIGS. 1and 6 could each be understood as being a simple rectangular panattached to the respective product pan. The preferred embodiment of theinvention achieves more even distribution of seasoning over the productby using a more complex seasoning pan, such as that depicted in FIG. 7or as discussed below for alternate embodiments. To prevent seasoningfrom breaking up into small bunches with void areas between the bunches,the auger 102 preferably deposits the seasoning on an inverted v-shapeddownwardly and longitudinally inclined seasoning deflector 108 whichpreferably has two triangular-shaped sides 116 each sloping both in theforward or longitudinal direction and toward one of the sides of theseasoning tray floor 122. The two triangular sides 116 of the deflector108 meet along ridge line 128, which is preferably aligned with thecentral axis 126 of both the seasoning tray and the product tray. Theseasoning tray 123 thus has a supporting floor 122, conventional sides100, 120 and upstream end 119, which are simplistically shown in FIG. 6.The tray 123 provides for a “curtain” of seasoning to be applied on theproduct moving along the product tray 96 by using the combination ofdividing deflector 108 and an inclined angle discharge edge 124. Thebias cut 124 in the seasoning pan floor 122 and deflector 108 evenly anduniformly distribute seasoning on the product moving in the producttray, such as tray 96 shown in FIG. 7.

The seasoning tray 123 is secured to and thus reciprocates with theproduct tray 96. The bias cut 124 is preferably angled at from about30degrees to about 60degrees relative to the axis 126. The seasoningtray as shown in FIG. 7 thus achieves quality dispersion of seasoning bypreventing seasoning stratification.

A suitable tray may be approximately 36 inches wide, and may be able toreliably season product at the rate of one or two thousand pounds ofseasoned product per hour. The higher capacity system with rotatingdrums as shown in FIG. 1 may be able to handle in excess of fourthousand pounds or more of product per hour.

The seasoning system as disclosed herein may benefit from improved flowleveler technology for obtaining a uniform height of product movingalong the product conveyor, such as that disclosed in U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/251,516 filed on Feb. 17, 1999. The trays may be removablyattached to the drive mechanism by a quick clamp/release mechanism, asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. 5,794,757. The linear motion conveyor systemoffers additional accumulation capacity which allows for continuousseasoning runs to accommodate intermittent downstream equipmentshutdown. A linear motion conveyor with a preferred accumulator featureis disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/235,971 filed on Jan. 22,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,060 and hereby incorporated by release.

The seasoning system of the present invention allows the equipment to beautomatically and efficiently operated since the volume of product inthe system may be easily determined at any desired location. The linearmotion conveyor system thus provides for a reliable product volumedetermination being handled by the system at any point, which directlyrelates to the area of the product desirably covered by the seasoning.

With respect to the trays 14 and 28 as shown in FIG. 1, it should thusbe understood that the tray 14 along its entire length may have asemi-circular configuration, so that the rounded tray fits over arotating drum with a slightly larger diameter, with the drum 16 bothrotating and reciprocating. In tray 28 as shown for the module 35 may bea flat bottom tray since the drum 36 does not reciprocate with the tray28. In either tray design, the elevation of the uppermost product beingmoved along the tray represents the depth of the product, and thusallows the sensors 26, 34, 108, 110 to effectively measure the volume ofthe product being conveyed. Measuring the volume with these sensors ishighly reliable compared, for example, to measuring volume of productmoving on a belt conveyor, since the product on belt conveyors may havehigh peaks and valleys and not be leveled out in a manner inherent in alinear motion conveyor. Moreover, measurement of depth of the productmoving along a linear motion conveyor is a much more accurate indicationof product volume than when product is conveyed on a vibratory conveyor,since the travel rate of product along a vibratory conveyor variessignificantly compared to the substantially uniform travel rate commonlyassociated with linear motion conveyors.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the seasoning module 35could incorporate a linearly reciprocated tumble drum similar to tumbledrum 16 as shown for the mixing module 15. This latter embodiment wouldbe desirable since the module 15 as shown in FIG. 1 is a single assemblywhich performs its desired function on the product at a constant level,while the inclined tumble drum 36 inherently has a discharge lower thanits input. The product drop in vertical height required by someequipment, such as tumbler 36, may affect the overall height of theinstalled food process handling system, particularly in applicationswhere the processing plant has a limited ceiling height. The tumble drum36 may mix chips and sealing at a higher flow through capacity than ahorizontal reciprocating tumble drum.

FIG. 8 discloses an alternate embodiment of a seasoning tray 130 foruniformly depositing seasoning on product moving along tray 94 in thedirection shown. As with the previously disclosed embodiment, the tray130 may be rigidly secured to the linear motion tray 94, and thus isdriven by the conveyor drive mechanism previously disclosed. Theseasoning tray 130 may thus be supplied with seasoning from auger 114.

As shown in FIG. 9, the seasoning tray includes a planar floor 132, aside 134, and an angled reinforcing member 136. As shown in FIG. 9, thesupporting surface 138 of the floor 132 of the seasoning tray may beinclined at a selected angle 140 relative to a horizontal plane. FIG. 8depicts that the back surface 134 of the seasoning tray is inclined at aselected angle 135 with respect to a line perpendicular to the movementof product along the tray 94. By selectively controlling the angles 135and 140, the seasoning may be uniformly distributed across the width ofthe tray 94. Preferred angles 140 and 135 will depend upon the type ofseasoning, stroke of the conveyor 94, and other factors. In mostapplications, the angle 140 will be less than 10 degrees, and the angle135 will be less than about 20 degrees. The angle of discharge edge 137with respect to the back plate 134 may be from about 10 degrees to about30 degrees.

FIG. 10 depicts another embodiment of a seasoning system 13 according tothe present invention which is similar in some respects to theembodiment shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, components not discussed hereand with respect to FIG. 10 will serve the purpose discussed above.

Chips are fed to the upper tray 96 from an upstream conveyor whichpreferably includes a proportional gate 97 which may be controlled bydrive motor 91. Sensor 108 senses the depth of the product on tray 96.The conveyor which contains the proportional gate 97 is preferably alinear motion conveyor as described herein. Support arm 142interconnects the linear motion conveyor with the seasoning tray 144which supplies seasoning to product moving along the tray 96. If an oilspray is desired, the support arm 142 may also support the header 102which includes a plurality of spray nozzles 104. Similarly, the support146 interconnects the linear motion conveyor with the seasoning tray 148which supplies seasoning to product moving along the tray 94. Oil fromheader 110 may be sprayed onto the chips on tray 94 by one or more spraynozzles 103. An advantage of the seasoning system 13 compared to theseasoning system 6 is that the seasoning trays 144 and 148 may have arelatively small width of three or four inches yet reliably suppliesseasoning to the product moving along the trays 96, 94 which are thirtyinches or more in width.

FIG. 11 depicts the seasoning tray 144 in greater detail. Seasoning issupplied to the tray 144 from an auger 106. The seasoning tray 144includes a planar floor 162, a backplate 164, and strengthening roofplates 166 and 168. Roof plates 166 and 168 are one form of a hood whichprotects the seasoning moving along the seasoning tray floor. As shownin FIG. 11, hole 170 may be provided in the backplate 164 for reducingthe weight of the tray and facilitate cleaning. A seasoning tray withfloor 162, backplate 164, and plates 166 and 168 may be formed fromstainless steel sheet metal which is bent to obtain the desiredconfiguration. Alternatively, welding can be used to fabricate theseasoning tray.

If desired, seasoning from the auger 106 may first be centralized withrespect to the floor 162 by block 172 which provides planar surfaces 174and 176 which meet along valley line 178 to centralize the product beingdeposited on the seasoning tray. Although a block 172 is depicted, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the centralizer may also beformed from sheet metal, if desired to reduce weight.

Referring again to FIG. 10, it should thus be understood that theseasoning tray 144 will be reciprocated with the upstream linear motionconveyor, and thus moves in the direction indicated in FIG. 11. Theangled edge 182 of the tray floor 162 thus results in a “curtain” ofseasoning being deposited on the chips moving along the product tray. Asshown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the tray floor 162 may have a width of, forexample, 3.5 inches, although the length of the tray floor 162 is thirtyinches or more, depending on the corresponding lateral width of the tray96. A similar seasoning tray 148 is provided for providing a curtain ofseasoning on product moving along the tray 94.

FIG. 12 depicts a modification of the seasoning tray shown in FIG. 11.Seasoning which drops off the angled edge 182 thus falls on the plate184 which may be positioned, for example, ¾'s of an inch below the plate182. Support 188 interconnects the floor 182 with the lower floor 184.Seasoning thus drops off the inclined edge 182 onto the plate 184, thendrops off the inclined edge 186 of plate 184 onto the product. Ifdesired, a plurality of tiers may thus be provided so that seasoningdrops onto the lower plate and is more evenly distributed beforedropping onto the product tray.

A further modification to the seasoning tray as shown in FIG. 13. Inthis modification, a substantially vertical dispenser plate 190, whichin some embodiments may be inclined rather than vertical, is positionedbelow the floor 162 and supported by a plurality of brackets 192 whichinterconnect the floor with the plate 190. Seasoning thus drops off theedge 182 and falls onto the upper edge 194 of the dispersion plate 190,so that some seasoning fall on the left side of the plate 190 whileother seasoning falls on the right side of the plate 190. Multipledispersion plates positioned at different levels or elevations could beprovided, if desired.

Yet another modification of the seasoning tray as shown in FIG. 14,where product drops off the inclined edge 182 of the planar floor 162and falls onto the dispersion bar or rod 194. Dispersion bar 194 issupported from the seasoning tray by the supports 192, and has aninclined axis 196 which is parallel with the inclined edge 182. Productthus falls off the edge 182 down to the rod 194, some seasoning dropsoff the left side of the dispersion bar 194 while other seasoning dropsoff the right side of the rod 194. The dispersion bar may alternativelybe an elongate member having a different cross sectional configuration.An elongate dispenser bar having triangular cross sectionalconfiguration, with the apex of the triangle dividing seasoning to theleft side and the right side of the dispersion bar, is thus alsocontemplated by the present invention.

FIG. 15 depicts yet another embodiment of a seasoning tray which issimilar to the FIG. 12 embodiment, except that the plate 184 is replacedwith plate 213 which has a sinusoidal shaped front surface 210 and asimilarly shaped rear surface. The purpose of the sinusoidal surfaces isto further insure that seasoning is uniformly distributed on theproduct. It must be remembered that the tray floor 162 is reciprocatingin the direction shown in FIG. 11. The surfaces 212 and 214 of the frontsurface 210 and similar surfaces of the back surface of the tray thusengage product as it drops off tray 162 to propel some of the seasoningin angled direction to further insure good distribution of seasoning onthe chips.

FIG. 16 is still another embodiment of a seasoning tray 144 according tothe present invention which is similar to the FIG. 11 embodiment.Seasoning drops off the inclined edge 182 of the floor 162 and onto theshaft 224, which is rotated by drive motor 216. The drive motor and theseasoning tray 144 may be interconnected by suitable support 218. Two ormore brackets 192 may support guide sleeves 220 and 222, which thus actsas simplistic bearings for the rotating shaft 224. FIG. 16 also depictsthat the shaft 224 has a plurality of grooves 226 therein. As seasoningdrops off the inclined edge 182, some of the seasoning drops onto theshaft and then drops onto the product, while other seasoning falls inone of the grooves 226. Since shaft 224 is rotating about axis 226,seasoning which falls within the grooves gets “propelled” by the motionof the rotating shaft, thereby again insuring that seasoning is reliablydistributed on the product.

It should be understood that the seasoning trays as shown on FIGS. 11-16may be used in the seasoning system as shown in FIG. 10, and also may beused as the seasoning tray which supplies seasoning to the productwithin the inclined tumble drum 36 as shown in FIG. 1. Both theseasoning trays and the product trays as disclosed herein may beconfigured for easy cleaning.

As an alternative to the deflector 108 as shown in FIG. 7, an alternatedeflector may be a single sheet metal sheet which is both inclineddownwardly and extends between the sides 100 and 120. The single sheetmetal deflector may thus have a trailing end which engages the side 120and a leading end which engages the side 100. This alternate deflectorinsures that seasoning is reasonably distributed along the width of theseasoning tray between the sides 100 and 110, so that it may continuealong the seasoning tray to drop off the inclined edge 124.

Another seasoning system according to the present invention includes afirst linear motion conveyor, a seasoning module, and preferably asecond linear motion conveyor and optionally a third linear motionconveyor. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of thefirst and third conveyors may alternatively be a belt conveyor or avibrator conveyor. The second conveyor alternatively could be avibratory conveyor. Sensor 26 as previously described may be used tomeasure the depth of the product in the tray and thus volume of productmoving into the seasoning module. The entire operation may be regulatedby an operator control panel 150. If desired, one or more other productvolume sensors can be provided in a system for measuring the flowingproduct at any desired place leading up to, within, or downstream of theseasoning module.

The food product may be discharged from the first conveyor and into aguide shoot for moving through the seasoning module. The seasoning maybe supplied by a seasoning supply unit, with seasoning being fed by aflow line to a first seasoning tray unit, arid by another flow line to asimilar second seasoning tray. Preferably the first and second seasoningtrays thus move with the tray of the second conveyor. Each seasoningtray may be constructed according to any of the previously describedembodiments. The discharge from each seasoning tray preferably is pushedunder a relatively low pressure of less than 10 psi by first and secondelongate air knives. First and second air supplied tubes thus gentlyblow the seasoning onto the chips as they pass through the seasoningunit. The seasoned food product may than be conveyed by one or moreconveyors to downstream equipment, such as bagging equipment.

The first and second flow lines from the seasoning unit supply the firstand second seasoning trays. A mechanical interconnection of eachseasoning tray with the second conveyor is made.

The seasoning system as discussed above thus allows the seasoningproduct to “free fall” by gravity through the seasoning unit, with theseasoning ideally uniformly coating both sides of each chip. A suitableair recirculation system, including a fan, blower or compressor, outputsair along a flow line to the first and second air knives. Air is thuswithdrawn from the seasoning unit through a suction line, and is thenfiltered by filter unit. Filtered seasoning may be output from theseasoning unit by a supply line. This embodiment thus offers thepossibility of uniformly coating chips and other food products with aseasoning, with the seasoning system being relatively simple and havinga high throughput rate. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatsome food products may have sufficient oil, or otherwise be naturallyattracted to seasoning, such that the food product may be directly fedinto the seasoning system of the present invention. For other foodproducts, a conventional spray unit may be provided upstream from theseasoning unit for lightly coating the food product with an oil spray tobetter attract the seasoning to the food product. In a suitableapplication, the first and second air knives may be positionedapproximately 2.8 inches from the top of the enclosure. Accordingly,those skilled will appreciate that the seasoning units may be relativelycompact, simple, and highly reliable.

Yet another embodiment of a seasoning system includes a sensor andlinear motion conveyors as discussed above, with the output from theseasoning system similarly going to the downstream equipment, such asbaggers. An enclosure may be provided with a modified guide shoot whichincludes an internal plate which initially guides the chips, so that thechips slide down a ramp surface as a layer. A second guide sheet, suchas a second sheet with a second ramp surface, is providing for allowingthe chips to fall off the first ramp surface and expose the other sideof each chip as it slides down the second ramp surface. While slidingdown the first ramp surface, one side of each chip may be seasoned froma first seasoning tray, and while sliding down the second ramp surface,the other side of each chip may be seasoned from the second seasoningtray. Seasoning is supplied to the trays by flow lines as previouslydiscussed. The advantage of this system is that the food product is moregently handled compared to the embodiment discussed above. Adisadvantage of this embodiment, however, is that the same sizeseasoning unit has a much lower throughput rate. If desired, air knifesoptionally may be used in this embodiment.

Each of the conveyor trays discussed above was disclosed as being a trayhaving a horizontal tray or pan floor. If desired, one or more of thetrays could be inclined to elevate the food product between thereceiving end and the discharge end of the conveyor tray using thelinear motion inclined conveyor technology as disclosed in U.S.application Ser. No. 09/576,013 filed on May 23, 2000, now abandoned.

It should also be noted that the procedure according to the presentinvention for quality testing is relatively simple, and requires only apercentage input into the computer 156 for that product line and recipe.Quality testing as disclosed herein has significant advantages comparedto a system using a weight-based standard. Volume-based samples providesignificant benefits, since the varying product density does not affectthe volume calculation. According to the present invention, volume-basedsamples are taken and are compared to “standard” samples since thevolume-based method is simple and yields the best results.Alternatively, accurate product density measurements could be obtainedon a periodic or preferably a real time basis which, in conjunction withquality control samples taken by a weight basis, may be compared with“standard” samples.

Various modifications to the seasoning system and to the method asdisclosed herein should be apparent from the above description ofpreferred embodiments. Although the invention has thus been described indetail for these embodiments, it should be understood that thisexplanation is for illustration, and that the invention is not limitedto these embodiments. Alternate components and operating techniques willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure.Additional modifications are thus contemplated and may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, which is defined by theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A seasoning system for coating a food productwith seasoning, comprising: one or more moveable seasoning trays eachfor dispensing seasoning; an input conveyor for supplying food producton which is dropped seasoning from the one or more seasoning trays tocoat the food product with seasoning; a sensor for outputting a productfeed rate signal in response to food product moving past the sensor; anda seasoning supply unit for applying seasoning to the one or moreseasoning trays in response to the product feed rate signal.
 2. Aseasoning system as defined in claim 1, wherein the seasoning systemfurther comprises: an upper ramp surface for sliding the food productwhile coating a side of the food product; and a lower ramp surface forsliding the food product while coating an opposing side of the foodproduct.
 3. A seasoning system as defined in claim 2, furthercomprising: an upper seasoning tray for dropping seasoning onto theupper ramp surface; and a lower seasoning tray for dropping seasoningonto the lower ramp surface.
 4. A seasoning system as defined in claim1, wherein the one or more seasoning trays includes at least first andsecond linearly moveable seasoning trays to move seasoninglongitudinally along the seasoning tray; and a drive mechanism fordriving the first and second seasoning trays.
 5. A seasoning system asdefined in claim 4, wherein the first seasoning tray opposes the secondseasoning tray such that the first seasoning tray primarily coats oneside of the product and the second seasoning tray primarily coats anopposing side of the product.
 6. A seasoning system as defined in claim4, wherein the input conveyor comprises: a linearly moveable producttray driven to move the food product longitudinally along the tray; adrive mechanism for driving the tray.
 7. A seasoning system as definedin claim 1, further comprising: a product tray driven to move the foodproduct longitudinally along the product tray; a drive mechanism fordriving the product tray; and the drive mechanism moves the product traylinearly in a slow forward/fast backward manner to slide the productalong the product tray.
 8. A seasoning system as defined in claim 1,further comprising: the seasoning supply unit comprising an auger drivenby an auger motor, the auger motor speed being controlled in response tothe product feed rate signal.
 9. A seasoning system as defined in claim1, further comprising: the seasoning supply unit including a seasoningtray having an angled discharge edge for uniformly distributing acurtain of seasoning to the product.
 10. A seasoning system as definedin claim 9, further comprising: an angled deflector on an upstreamportion of the seasoning tray for deflecting product toward both a leftside and a right side of the seasoning tray.
 11. A seasoning system asdefined in claim 1, further comprising: a proportional gate foradjusting the feed rate of product to the product tray in response tothe product feed rate signal.
 12. A seasoning system as defined in claim1, further comprising: a tumbler including a rotating drum having aninclined drum axis for tumbling the product and the seasoning.
 13. Aseasoning system as defined in claim 1, further comprising: an operatorinput panel for inputting operator selected parameters; and a computerfor controlling movement of the product tray and thus the quantity ofproduct moving along the product tray in response to the operator inputsignals.
 14. A seasoning system for coating food product with seasoning,comprising: one or more moveable seasoning trays each for dispensingseasoning; an input conveyor for supplying food product past the one ormore seasoning trays to coat the food product with seasoning; the one ormore seasoning trays each having an angled discharge edge for uniformlydistributing a curtain of seasoning to the product; a first seasoningtray opposes a second seasoning tray such that the first seasoning trayprimarily coats one side of the product and the second seasoning trayprimarily coats an opposing side of the product; and a drive mechanismfor driving each of the one or more seasoning trays.
 15. A seasoningsystem as defined in claim 14, wherein the seasoning unit furthercomprises: an upper ramp surface for sliding the food product whilecoating a side of the food product; and a lower ramp surface for slidingthe food product while coating an opposing side of the food product. 16.A seasoning system as defined in claim 15, further comprising: an upperseasoning tray for dropping seasoning onto the upper ramp surface; and alower seasoning tray for dropping seasoning onto the lower ramp surface.17. A seasoning system as defined in claim 14, wherein the one or moreseasoning tray includes at least first and second linearly moveableseasoning trays to move seasoning longitudinally along the seasoningtray; and a drive mechanism for driving the first and second seasoningtrays.
 18. A seasoning system as defined in claim 14, wherein the inputconveyor comprises: a linearly moveable product tray driven to move thefood product longitudinally along the tray; a drive mechanism fordriving the product tray.
 19. A seasoning system as defined in claim 14,further comprising: a proportional gate for adjusting the feed rate ofproduct to the one or more seasoning trays in response to a product feedrate signal.
 20. A seasoning system as defined in claim 14, furthercomprising: a sensor for generating a product feed rate signal inresponse to food product moving past the sensor.
 21. A seasoning forcoating a food product with seasoning, comprising: one or more moveableseasoning trays each for dispensing seasoning; an input conveyor forsupplying food product on which is dropped seasoning from the one ormore seasoning trays to coat the food product with seasoning; a sensorfor outputting a product feed rate signal in response to food productmoving along the input conveyor; an upper ramp surface for sliding thefood product while coating a side of the food product; a lower rampsurface for sliding the food product while coating an opposing side ofthe food product; an upper seasoning tray for dropping seasoning ontothe upper ramp surface; a lower seasoning tray for dropping seasoningonto the lower ramp surface; and a proportional gate for adjusting thefeed rate of product to the one or more seasonal trays, in response tothe product feed rate signal.
 22. A seasoning system as defined in claim21, wherein the input conveyor comprised: a linearly moveable producttray driven to move the food product longitudinally along the tray; adrive mechanism for driving the tray.
 23. A seasoning system as definedin claim 21, further comprising: a product tray driven to move the foodproduct longitudinally along the product tray; a drive mechanism fordriving the product tray; and the drive mechanism moves the product traylinearly in a slow forward/fast backward manner to slide the productalong the product tray.
 24. A seasoning system as defined in claim 21,further comprising: a seasoning supply unit comprising an auger drivenby an auger motor, the auger motor speed being controlled in response tothe product feed rate signal.
 25. A seasoning system as defined in claim21, further comprising: a seasoning supply unit including a seasoningtray having an angled discharge edge for uniformly distributing acurtain of seasoning to the product.
 26. A seasoning system as definedin claim 25, further comprising: an angled deflector on an upstreamportion of the seasoning tray for deflecting product toward both a leftside and a right side of the seasoning tray.
 27. A seasoning system asdefined in claim 21, further comprising: an operator input panel forinputting operator selected parameters; and a computer for controllingmovement of the product tray and thus the quantity of product movingalong the product tray in response to the operator input signals.